the_familiarfandomcom-20200213-history
Palace above the day
"palace above the day" is the twelfth chapter of One Rainy Day in May. It is the second chapter to be narrated by Jingjing. Chapter Quote "The river boats are vague." - Tu Fu Summary The chapter opens up on May 11, 2014 at 03:33:34 in Singapore. Jingjing and Tian Li are in Zhong's palace to discuss the offer Zhong made earlier. Tian Li first requests Zhong to dry their clothes, as they have been rained on. Zhong accepts and hands her and Jingjing robes to wear as they wait. While in one of the bathrooms, Jingjing begins to steal soap, toothpaste, and q-tips by placing each of these items in his pockets. As he walks down a hallway he notices a bowl filled with gold coins and other types of currency. He contemplates taking those too but decides against it when he sees some of Zhong's employees walking towards him. Jingjing overhears one of the employees insulting him and Tian Li in Russian. He chooses not to respond to the employee. Jingjing finds Tian Li waiting in a small room. He sits with her and they wait for Zhong to arrive. They are approached by Cocoa Cherry, another one of Zhong's employees. Jingjing is impressed by how she is able to speak Russian and Mandarin. She brings them tea and asks if they would like cream and sugar. Jingjing excuses himself and returns to the hallway with the coin-filled bowl. He is still unable to take the coins so he continues walking to avoid suspicion from the staff. He finds the area where he originally entered the palace where he meets Pink Pearl and Copper Azure. These two are a group referred to as the Jude Boys. They also work for Zhong. Tian Li starts calling Jingjing's name so he returns to her. When he re-enters the small room, he sees Tian Li talking with Zhong. He is confused when he learns that Zhong is able to speak Mandarin when Jingjing had to translate what Tian Li was saying for him earlier. The three of them move to another room where it is quiet and nobody else is around. This room is the "owl room." Tian Li starts speaking to Zhong in Cantonese, which Zhong seems to not be able to understand. In the owl room, there is a tapestry of Lei Gong, the Chinese god of thunder. Tian Li continues speaking to Zhong in Cantonese and Jingjing provides translations for him. Tian Li tells Zhong, "we've been here before," a comment that confuses both Zhong and Jingjing. Jingjing speculates that "we" refers to Tian Li and the cat. Suddenly, Tian Li seems to start feeling a great deal of physical pain. She almost falls to the ground but Zhong helps her stand, then starts leading her and Jingjing out of the owl room. Tian Li requests Zhong start giving them the details of his son and the request he made to them. The chapter ends on May 11, 2014 at 03:47:18. Page by page annotations Category:Chapters